Stereotyping the Homeless

1. Stereotyping the Homeless By: Veronica Horton

2. Definition of Homeless • The “official” definition of homelessness now used by healthcare centers that are funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) states: A homeless individual is defined in section 330(h)(5)(A) as “an individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family), including an individual who primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility (e.g., shelters) that provides temporary living accommodations, and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing.” A homeless person is an individual without permanent housing who may live on the streets; stay in a shelter; mission; single room occupancy facilities, abandoned building or vehicle or in any other unstable or non-permanent situation. (What is the official definition of homelessness?, n.d., para 1).

3. Demographics • According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness ~ 578, 424 people were experiencing homelessness in January 2014, on any given night in the U.S. ~ Of that number, 362, 163 were individuals and 216,197 were families. ~ 15 percent of the homeless population (84,291) are considered “chronically homeless” ~ 9 percent (49,933) are veterans • The numbers are from the point-in-time counts, which are done every other year in January. The Department id Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires communities to submit data in order to receive federal homeless assistance funds.

5. Definition of Stereotyping • Stereotyping is when negative or positive judgments are made on or about another person solely on the basis of ethnic or other group membership (Jandt, 2010, pg. 86).

7. Common Stereotypes of the Homeless • Single men • Drug or Alcoholic addicts • Only certain ethnic groups and ages are homeless • They are dangerous • Uneducated/Unemployable • Choose to be • Don’t want help, want hand outs • Are Lazy • Are dirty and smell • It is their fault

8. The Employed Homeless • 44 percent of homeless individuals are employed and cannot escape poverty and being homeless. HOWEVER • The stereotype that homeless individuals are lazy and lack a desire to work still remains. The services offered to the homeless are not designed for the working homeless.

9. Medical Care • Homeless individuals are at an increase or already living with diabetes, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, and/or mental health problems. Half of all veterans who are homeless are disabled. HOWEVER • Not all emergency departments (ED) are equipped and skilled in handling the homeless population. ED’s are often the first medical providers that see the homeless and must have a plan in place to better care and meet the needs. (1) recognition of pattern and identifying and treatment of homeless patients (2) variations of standard of care (3) tensions with the boundaries of the emergency department and social care.

10. Medical Care cont. • The emergency departments act as a way to meet the medical needs of homeless patients. They need to be among the first to help combat homelessness. More research is needed however; communities and hospitals need to develop a plan to help with the medical needs of the homeless. Hospitals are less likely to admit a homeless person but a collaboration to develop a safe and potentially cost-saving alternative would be beneficial for the homeless and communities.

11. It is a mans world • Homeless individuals are mostly single men. HOWEVER • Nine out of 10 homeless families are female lead households averaging two kids. Homeless families who enter shelters are coming from a crisis. This could range from job loss, illness, change in relationship (divorce or desertion), or loss of housing due to natural causes. A majority of the homeless families were already living pay check to paycheck and along with higher crime rated neighborhoods.

12. Homelessness Does Not Discriminate • Only certain ethnicities are homeless. HOWEVER • Homelessness does not know the difference of color, religion, and ethnicities. Everyone one is fair game.

13. Dangerous Criminals • Homeless individual are dangerous criminals. HOWEVER • While housing issues are a problem for those individuals re-entering society after incarceration, this does not mean that all are dangerous. They tend to be limited in choices and have low-income and lack the ability to obtain housing. One in five people who leave prison will become homeless.

14. Uneducated/Unemployable • Homeless individuals are uneducated making them unemployable. HOWEVER •  Many people who are homeless have high school diplomas or their GED, college degrees and even Masters Degrees.

15. They want to be homeless • Homeless people want to be homeless. HOWEVER • Nobody who is in their right state of mind wants to be homeless. Yes, there are some who are “chronically homeless” who have no faith in society and do not see anyway out. This often stems from how they have been treated while homeless.

16. Dirty and Smell • Homeless people are dirty and smell bad. HOWEVER • Often you cannot tell a homeless person from any other person. Many do live in shelters and are able to take showers.

17. Their Fault • It is their fault that they are homeless. HOWEVER • There are a wide variety of reasons how someone becomes homeless such as: family issues, abuse, mental illness, lost job, lack of affordable housing, lack of a living wage, substance abuse, or natural disaster. Most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and it takes only one catastrophic event for someone to find themselves homeless. 1 out of 3 people working are one or two missed paychecks away from being homeless

18. I conducted a simple survey among 67 moms from the More Than Moms Facebook Group located in North Central part of Illinois. The purpose of this was to see what individuals in the area where I live thought and what kind of stereotypes or perceptions were had. Additionally, I wanted to see how the More Than Moms survey compared to the Aurora University survey I conducted in Spring of April, 2014. The homeless are responsible for their situation? The homeless lack motivation to improve their situation? Yes - 6.35% No - 22.22% Sometimes - 71.43% Comments: “It depends...some people truly don't have the tools, resources, or knowledge to improve their circumstances...or are dealing w/ mental illness, drug addiction, etc. I think the majority of the time, it's not a lack of motivation that causes someone to continue to be homeless”. “No one WANTS to be homeless, but sometimes life gets so hopeless that they can't bring themselves to be motivated to improve their situation. They don't lack motivation because they are lazy, they lack motivation because they are hopeless. Hopeless is way down on the emotional scale and is difficult to come out of simply because you "want to." Certainly homeless people have gotten themselves out of it, but those who have been homeless for a while have simply accepted it because it is too hopeless to change”. • Yes - 6.06% • No  - 16.67% • Sometimes  - 77.27% • Comments: “Some homeless people do not try and fix their situation. They only want people to give.” “Some situations are within the control of the individuals and they haven't hit the bottom yet to make the change for themselves such as heavy drug users “. “For the most part I would say that they are victims of their circumstances ( addiction, unemployment, abuse, etc.)”

19. Survey (contd.) The homeless are looking for handouts? Homeless people are always dirty. Yes - 1.67% No - 70.00% Sometimes - 28.33% Comments: “Not having a place to call home does not make one dirty” “Some will go to great lengths to maintain personal hygiene” “I have met homeless people you would never guess were homeless, but some don't have regular access to showers or clean clothes” “Not at all. There are people I later found out were homeless I had absolutely no idea were homeless or living in their cars!” • Yes - 8.20% • No - 22.95% • Sometimes - 68.85% • Comments: “I mean this in the very basic sense. They have nothing (or very very little). And no one can survive on nothing. So something has to be handed to them in order for them just to survive (food, water, etc). Doesn't mean every homeless person is just lazy and looking for handouts” “There are some that are honestly just trying to eat and keep warm. Others that have addictions and are trying to take advantage of whoever they can to secure that next high” “Society has perpetuated a stereotype. While some may look for handouts, others are looking for a way out”

20. Survey (contd.) Homeless parents create a cycle of homelessness for their children? The main cause for homelessness is? Substance abuse - 10.53% Mental Health issues - 28.07% Unemployment - 24.56% Other - 36.84% Comments: There is no main cause, there are many causes. Each homeless person is different, they all have a different story. • Yes - 6.78% • No - 54.24% • Sometimes - 38.98% • Comments: I've never really thought about this before. I think it depends on the parents and how much they encourage and inspire their kids. Overall I think yes. It is hard to break put of the poverty cycle. It can be done, but it is difficult. It doesn't mean this is what they want for their children, but coming from an unstable home environment without access to some of the privileges other kids have I think it can be hard for their children to keep up and be able to keep up. Possibly. I'm not really sure on this one I feel it could go either way.

21. Survey (contd.) Moms Group University Students

22. Survey (contd.) Moms Group University Students

23. Survey (contd.) Moms Group University Students

24. Summary of comparison between moms group and university students. • Comparing the two different groups there clearly are significant gaps between the general age difference and life experiences/exposures. • University students placed far more blame and negative perceptions about homeless people. They largely blamed them for their situations, lacked motivation, looking for hand outs, and created a cycle for homelessness for children. These categories were all above 40% versus under 10% with the moms group. • This unscientific comparison tells me that more education needs to occur with the younger generation of people. • Time and exposure to life does seem to make a difference as to the stereotypes made about the homeless population.

25. Estimated number of Homeless in the U.S. • According to the 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, there has been a 9% decrease since 2007. However, the estimated rate is 21 persons out of every 10,000. This means that the homeless constitute a fraction of 1% of the U.S. population.

26. Negative Affects of Stereotyping the Homeless

27. End Stereotyping and Help the Homeless • Policies need to be in place that helps strengthen and support families. Stereotyping the homeless and just letting the homeless simply exist and doing nothing to help them get back on their feet is critical. Interventions that are designed to help families need to be designed to understand the dynamics and diverse characteristics of families that need served. An increase in stability, integrity, and dignity of the families experiencing homelessness has to occur. Policies which help to empower and educate the families as well as educate the public as to what the faces of homelessness really are. It does not take much to be any one of us. • Help children and families confront and overcome these barriers by effective parenting skills and dispositions. Negative stereotypes are used to label them are a big barrier. Often children have lacked some positive parent role models and have seen violence occur whether in the home or in the community.

28. Ending Stereotyping and Helping (contd.) • Homeless children are often seen in the academic and welfare system as ‘Children at risk’. We as a society need to value these kids and help them to succeed and overcome the situation they are placed in. Give them the tools to learn and overcome. • Teachers and schools are an important part with helping homeless children who are coming to school. • I have a friend who keeps extra food and clothes for a little boy in her class. • In the high school were my son goes, a security guard helps to look out for the homeless teenager. She helps with extra warm clothes and school supplies. • Talk with them, let them express their feelings and build them up.

29. Ending Stereotyping and Helping (contd.) • One example of an interesting initiative is OATHS - Organization Assisting The Homeless Students. It was developed by a 16 year old student after he had learned that the school where his mother taught was attended by thirty homeless students. His mission was to provide ongoing support to the homeless children to make sure they succeed at school despite their living conditions. Peer sponsors were asked to help a homeless student and get all the items s/he needed to be successful in school. Mentors worked as friend, and/or tutor to the homeless student(s). Parents were also invited to help and to support the homeless students in the process of education. The organization also challenges other schools to get involved in helping homeless students in their areas • Another example comes from Wayne State University. Every Tuesday morning, medical students gather medical supplies and take them to Detroit soup kitchens, shelters, and random street stops. Their sole mission is to help the homeless. These students are members of the Street Medicine Detroit, an organization which donates medical services to the homeless.

30. Ending Stereotyping and Helping (contd.) • Employment for the Homeless is difficult. How can they work with no address? • Some shelters like the one I stayed at allow the person to use their address as a place of residency. • Childcare is difficult. Childcare facilities perhaps can help by working out something and accepting government aid assistance to cover costs. • Education… Everyone needs to be educated on the facts and how to effectively help versus passing down stereotypes and continuing to add to a problem.

31. When I was homeless, this verse was above the dinning room table at the shelter. Many days it was all I had. It gave me HOPE for a better tomorrow.

33. Annotated Bibliography • Anderson, E. A., & Koblinsky, S. A. (1995). Homeless policy: the need to speak to families. Family Relations, 4413-18. • Corbitt, B. (1993). Streetkids to schoolkids. Youth Studies Australia, 12(2), 38. • Doran, K. M., Vashi, A. A., Platis, S., Curry, L. A., Rowe, M., Gang, M., & Vaca, F. E. (2013). Navigating th Boundaries of Emergency Department Care: Addressing the Medical and Social Needs of Patients Who Are Homeless. American Journal Of Public Health, 103(S2), S355-S360. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301540 • Gibson, R. (1991). Broken brothers and breaking stereotypes. Public Welfare, 49(2), 34. • Henry, M., Cortes, A., Shivji, A., & Buck, K. (2014, October). Retrieved from https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2014-AHAR-Part1.pdf • Homelessness Defined | The Suitcase Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.suitcaseclinic.org/homelessness-defined/ • Human | Rethink Homelessness Orlando [Video file]. (2015, February 9). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLbP-SpXAps • Jandt, F. (2010). An Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Identities in a Global Community (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.   • National Coalition for the Homeless. ( July 2009). Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/who.html • Panter-Brick, C. (2004). Homelessness, Poverty, and Risks to Health: Beyond at Risk Categorizations of Street Children[1]. Children's Geographies, 2(1), 83-94. • Shier, M. L., Jones, M. E., & Graham, J. R. (2010). Perspectives of Employed People Experiencing Homelessness of Self and Being Homeless: Challenging Socially Constructed Perceptions and Stereotypes. Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare, 37(4), 13-37. • Swick, K. (2009). Strengthening Homeless Parents with Young Children Through Meaningful Parent Education and Support. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(4), 327-332. doi:10.1007/s10643-008-0274-z • What is the official definition of homelessness? | National Health Care for the Homeless Council. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2015, from https://www.nhchc.org/faq/official- definition- homelessness/